Strengthening Accountability in Adult Education: The National Reporting System (NRS)

In the late 1990s, Adult Basic Education was undervalued and overlooked compared to other federally funded education programs. To demonstrate the effectiveness and impact of these services, the U.S. Department of Education, Division of Adult Education and Literacy developed the National Reporting System (NRS) accountability framework, focused on data quality and program improvement.

Through six projects spanning 20 years, AIR has led the development of the national accountability system for the adult education program, the NRS, which meets the adult education program’s accountability requirements under the Workforce Opportunity and Investment Act. To support state implementation of the NRS, AIR conducts numerous national and regional training conferences, maintain and expand a web-based training site, creates and facilitates NRS professional development opportunities, develops and conducts online courses and offers direct technical assistance to states to support implementation of the NRS.

See www.nrsweb.org for training materials and other technical assistance resources. AIR also provides statistical analyses of NRS data and support with policy analysis around accountability for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education under this contract.